Bushisms:
General
"They misunderestimated me."[9] — Bentonville, Arkansas; November 6, 2000
"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."[10] — Saginaw, Michigan; September 29, 2000
"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, 'Fool me once, shame on, shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again.'"[11] — Nashville, Tennessee; September 17, 2002
"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country."[12] — Poplar Bluff, Missouri; September 6, 2004
"For every fatal shooting, there were roughly three non-fatal shootings. And, folks, this is unacceptable in America. It's just unacceptable. And we're going to do something about it." --Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 14, 2001 [13]
"One of the things I’ve used on the Google is to pull up maps." - CNBC interview with Maria Bartiromo, October 24, 2006.[14]
"I'm going to put people in my place, so when the history of this administration is written at least there's an authoritarian voice saying exactly what happened."[15] (Announcing he would write a book about "the 12 toughest decisions" he had to make.)
"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream." (dreams take wing) —La Crosse, Wisconsin, October 18, 2000[16]
"See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction." Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Oct. 3, 2003 [17]
Spoonerisms
"If the terriers and bariffs are torn down, this economy will grow." —January 2000[16]
Foreign affairs
"Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction. Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit." — Addressing then-Australian Prime Minister John Howard at the APEC Summit, September 7, 2007. (Neither the USA nor Australia are members of OPEC.)[18]
"Yesterday, you made note of my—the lack of my talent when it came to dancing. But nevertheless, I want you to know I danced with joy. And no question Liberia has gone through very difficult times"- Speaking with the president of Liberia, Washington, D.C., Oct. 22, 2008 [19]
"Do you have blacks, too?" --to Brazilian President Fernando Cardoso, Washington, D.C., Nov. 8, 2001 [20]
Terrorism
"I'm telling you there's an enemy that would like to attack America, Americans, again. There just is. That's the reality of the world. And I wish him all the very best." - Washington, D.C., January 12, 2009[21]
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." - Washington, D.C., August 5, 2004[22]
"I couldn't imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Hanukkah." --Washington, D.C., Dec. 10, 2001 [23]
Economics
"There's no question about it. Wall Street got drunk—that's one of the reasons I asked you to turn off the TV cameras—it got drunk and now it's got a hangover. The question is how long will it sober up and not try to do all these fancy financial instruments." — Speaking at a private fundraiser and surreptitiously recorded by a reporter with the footage subsequently leaked on various news outlets, Houston, Texas, July 18, 2008[24]
Education
"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"[5] — Florence, South Carolina; January 11, 2000
"As yesterday's positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured." — On the No Child Left Behind Act, Washington, D.C.; September 26, 2007[25]
"Then you wake up at the high school level and find out that the illiteracy level of our children are [sic] appalling." —Washington, D.C.; January 23, 2004[26]
